Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



. 2 Sh t-Sh t1.l E. ALLEN. j rees ee Breech Loading Fire Arm.

Patented Dee. I5, 1868.

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E. ALLEN.

Breech Loading Fire Arm.

y vPatented DBC. 15, 1868.

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`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ETHAN ALLEN, OF VORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

`HV!PROVENIEINIT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent N0.S4,929, dated December15, 1868.

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, Erna-N ALLEN, of the city and county of Vorcester,and Gommonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Breech- Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure l, Sheet l, represents a side Viewof so much of an Allen double-barreled breechloading firearm as isnecessary to illustrate my present improvement. Fig. 2, Sheet 1,represent-s a side view of the arm shown in Fig. 1, with the hingedbreech-locking turned -up and the guard depressed to withdraw themetallic cartridge shells or cases. Fig. 3, Sheet l, represents ahorizontal section` through the hinged breech-piece. Fig. 4, Sheet 1,represents a side view of the metallic cartridge shell or case used tofire shot with. Fig. 5, Sheet 1, represents a side view of the auxiliaryand removable rifled barrel used to fire balls with. Fig. 6, Sheet l,represents a rear View of the riled barrel when loaded and capped. Fig.7, Sheet l, represents a cross-section of the riiled barrel. Fig. 1,Sheet 2, represents a longitudinal central section through one ofthebarrels 'with the auxiliary ritled barrel in place, as hereinaftermore fully explained; and Fig. 2, Sheet 2, represents a longitudinalcentral section between the barrels, as hereinafter 4more fullyexplained.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to makeand use the saine, I will proceed to describe it more in de- In thedrawings, the part lettered A represents the butt of the arm; B, thestock; D, the breech-iron; E, the downwardly and backwardly projectingpiece which formsl the conneet-ion between the barrels F and thebreechiron D, and G is the hinged locking-piece.

II'H are the hammers, and I I the triggers by which the hammers aresprung.

J is the combined trigger-guard and eartridge case or shell extractor.

As several parts of the arm shown in the drawings form thesubject-matter of Letters Patents which have heretofore been granted tome, I shall confine my present description m orc particularly to theparticular parts which constitute my present improvements, the nature ofwhich consists, principally, first, in extending the metal which formsthe barrels down and back to form receiving-chambers for thecartridge-cases, both when inserting the cartridges and withdrawing theshells or cases, and also as a strong and secure connection between thebarrels and the breech-iron D, as will be hereinafter explained; second,in the combination, with the hinged lifting-lever connectedwith thehinged breeclrlocking piece, of a breech-locking device, as willl1ereinafter be explained and, third, inthe combination, with one orboth of the shot-barrels, of an auxiliary rifled barrel, hereinafter tobe ex-` plained.

It is an important point in a double-barreled breech-loading shotgun tohave a strong connectionbetween the barrels and the breechiron D, andalso to have the receiving-chambers, into which the cartridge-shells areiirst placed, of an even and uniform shape, corresponding with the lowersides of the recess in the ends of the barrels. By my present improvements the above and other advantages are obtained.

To the under sides of the rear ends of th barrels is welded a metalpiece, K, before the barrels are finished, and after the weldingopera-tion has been properly completed the barrels are bored out andnished from end to end. Then the rear ends of the barrels andthe part Kare milled or cut off, so as to leave a dovetail projection, L, to tit acorresponding dovetail recess cut in the lower part of the face of thebreech-iron D. The projection L is inserted laterally into the recess inthe breech-iron D, and as the projection is made a little wedging andthe recess of a corresponding shape,va perfect and tight fit isobtained-whenthe parts are put together, as shown in the drawings.

It will be noticed that the lower part of the connection-piece E restsupon Vthe extended arm M of the breech-iron D, whereby, when the piece Eis slipped in over or above the arm M and the projection L into therecess `in the part D,`the barrels will beconnected to the breech-ironand butt A in a secure and firm manner, even without further fasteningsor connections, except a single screw through arm M. Then, again,when itis desired to reinoveor disconnect the barrels from the breech for anypurpose, it can be quickly accomplished by simply withdrawing the screwor pin which holds the guard J in place and the screw in arm M.

To form the receiving-chamber for the cartridges, the upper sides of therear ends of the barrels are cut or milled off, as indicated in thedrawings, and the locking breech-piece G hinged to one side of thc pieceE,so as to be turned down to cover the receiving-chambers, and also toform a rear support for the cartridge shells or cases after they havebeen moved forward into the barrels F. (See Fig. l, Sheet 2, of thedrawings.) After the piece G has been turned down, as shown in Fig. l,it is locked by turning the lever N in, as shown in dark lines, Figs. land 3, Sheet l, of the drawings, since the rear or inner end of lever Nis connected to the locking-bolt O Aby means of the hinged connection d,and when lever N is turned in the bolt O is forced out, as shown in darklines, Fig. 3, Sheet l, while when the said lever is turned out, asshown in red lines, same figure, the bolt is drawn in as represented inred lines, same iigure. Ahole is bored or formed in the face of thebreechpiece D, into which the bolt O passes, when the hinged piece G isturned down and lever N turned in, as shown in Fig. 1, Sheet 1.

Upon the underside of thelocking-piece Gis fastened a spring, P, therear end of which is provided with a friction-roll, e, which is press edby spring P into the curved recess 2 in the under side of bolt O whenarm N is folded in, and into the curved recess l when arm N is turnedout. It will be observed that the force of spring l? causes roll e toforce the bolt in either direction, as the case may be, after the bolthas been moved by means of lever N sufficiently to move the point 3 pastthe center of the roll. (See Fig. 2, Sheet 2, of the drawings.) Bolt Ois fitted to slide back and forth in holes bored in front and rea-r ofthe piece G. rlhe front end of the latter, when down, drops below and inrear of the projection f of theshell-extractor Q, thereby holding thatand the guard J, which gears into the rack on the extractor, securely inplace, as shown in dark lines, Fig. 2, Sheet 2.

The auxiliary and removable rified barrel R is made tapering and smallerat its front end, R, so that it can be inserted into the rear ends ofthe barrels from the receiving-chambers in the chambered part E asfreely and conveniently as the shot shell or case S. The rear or largepart of the barrel R and its ange 10 are made of the same size as theshot-case S and its flange 10, so that the auxiliary barrel can beused'in either barrel of the gun. The powder and ball used for loadingthe auxiliary barrel It are contained in a metallic shell or case, T,which is to be provided with a cap, s, to be exploded to discharge theball by means of the same plunger, U, which is employed to explode theprimer in the /metal case or shell S used for firing shot. It willtherefore be seen that balls can be fired from either barrel of mydoublebarreled shotgun at the pleasure of the sportsman, provided oneauxiliary barrel R and a supply of loaded ball-cartridge shells T arecarried. The auxiliary barrel R has a ange, 10, the same as the case orshot-shell S, whereby it is withdrawn by the projection f on theextractor Q in the same manner as the shotcase S, its flange l0 fittingthe recess x in the rear ends of the barrels, the same as the flange l()of the shot-case. The projection f of the extractor Q is arranged towork between the rear ends of the barrels, whereby one proj ection, f,withdraws the shells or auxiliary barrels, as the case may be, from bothbarrels at the same time. The grooves or riiles 11 in the front part ofthe bore of the auxiliary barrel R may be 'made with any desired twist.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have producedanarm which combines the advantages, within a certain range, of both ashotgun and a rifle, while the mode of combining the barrels with thebreech-iron, to which the wooden butt of the arm is secured, issueh asto render the connection of the parts strong and durable.

By combining the locking breech-piece G, cartridge shell or caseextractor Q, and trigger-guard J in the manner shown and described, thetrigger-guard is made to perform the additional function of a lever tooperate the extractor, while the hinged breech-piece G, when down,serves to hold the guard J securely in the position shown in dark lines,Fig. 1, Sheet 1, and Fig. 2, Sheet'2, without any additional fasteningto hold the hinged guard, which was not the case in mypreviously-patented breech-loading rifle, in which a hingedtrigger-guard is shown.

Having described my improved double-barreled breech-loading fire-arm,what I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the downwardly and backwardly projecting barrelextension and connection part E, made in one piece, as described, withthe barrel or barrels and metal breech-piece D, as and for the purposesset forth.

2. The combination, with the metal breech-V piece D andforwardly-projecting arm M, of the barrel extension or connection part Eand dovetail projection L, inserted laterally into acorrespondingly-shaped recess in the breechpiece, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth. 3. The combination, with the hinged liftingand locking lever N, of a breech-locking device separate from saidlever, but so combined therewith as to be operated thereby, for thepurposes set forth.

et. The combination, with the hinged breechpiece G and hinged lever N,of the lockingbolt O and connection d, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

5. The combination, with the locking-bolt O, of the spring P andfriction-roll e, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, with the hinged breech! piece G and looking-bolt O,of aholding-spring, il?, substantially as and for the purposes set orth.

7. The combination of a yielding roll, e,With the rear conceived orrecessed end of the lookingbolt O, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

8. An auxiliary flanged rifle-barrel, R, applied to the main barrel ofthe gun, so as to be operated or withdrawn by the cartridge-;cextiizlwtor, substantially as for the purposes set ort 9. Theauxiliaryrifled barrel R, when made with the tapering or contracted end R',substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

10. The combination and relative arrangement of the combined hingedextractor, lever, and trigger-guard J and hinged breech-piece G with thecartridge shell or ease extractor Q., substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

ETHAN ALLEN.

Witnesses:

Trios. H. DODGE, GEO. H. MILLER.

